So Confused
by Ambrel
Summary: She was leaning against the table dejectedly, her head propped up by her hands. Her eyes were downcast at the table and she gave a great, shuddering sigh.


_**Author's Note: Dragon Faere, this one's for you. I'm also taking a page from your book on experimental writing. Actual dialogue in this fic is in italics. Whee!**_

**So Confused**

_Hey, Junko?_

He stopped in surprise. He hadn't seen her sitting there at the table when he first walked into the kitchen. She looked worried.

_Yeah? What's up, Piper?_

She was leaning against the table dejectedly, her head propped up by her hands. Her eyes were downcast at the table and she gave a great, shuddering sigh.

Junko waited, eyes wide. He had just wanted to come in and make himself a sandwich before he, Aerrow, and Finn began their pre-mission prep and brief. Once things got rolling, it usually got too hectic to slow down and grab a bite to eat. And if there was one thing that Junko hated to miss, it was a mealtime.

And this mission was going to occur right smack in the middle of dinner. So he was taking the pre-emptive steps to staving off another night of hunger.

When Piper didn't say anything immediately, he wavered between the urge to ransack the poor, unsuspecting fridge and the need to go encourage her to talk. And that fridge was being pretty tempting…

But he glanced over at her down turned head, drooped posture, and general air of unhappiness, and he knew that food could wait. Forcing a smile onto his face, Junko dropped himself into the chair that was adjacent to Piper.

_Hey… Piper, what's wrong?_

She took a quick breath, then let her eyes slide slowly up from where they had been staring at the tabletop.

_Just worried._

He frowned, as though he couldn't really see why she was concerned.

_About what? You know we're always careful, Piper. There's no reason to be worried._

She sighed, her shoulders bobbing with the force of her emotion.

_I'm afraid that this mission will be a lot harder. Things have been getting more and more serious, Junko. I mean, remember last time we had a dogfight? The Dark Ace nearly took Aerrow's arm off. He's lucky he only needed stitches! And that was only a few weeks ago. It's too soon to be doing another mission like this. He needs to heal up, Finn's crossbow is STILL jamming after that fall he took during that fight, and its only a matter of time before something happens to you too!_

Junko pushed a laugh from his throat. She had hit upon some very real concerns. Concerns that he himself had been thinking about lately. Even he had noticed the cavalier attitude that had started to infuse itself throughout the squadron. The guys, including himself, had started taking unnecessary risks. Aerrow had gotten cocky. Finn had gotten more daring, regardless of the experiences he seemed to keep having with his skimmer meeting its untimely demise over and over.

It seemed as though the only ones who really contemplated the actual danger that they faced on a daily basis was Stork and Piper. And since no one really took Stork seriously, Piper had been the one with the sole responsibility of trying to impress upon the guys the actual hazards that their actions were courting.

Hazards and dangers that were exacerbated by the reckless way they acted toward everything.

Junko reached out and let his heavy hand fall comfortably on Piper's shoulder.

_Come on, Piper. We'll be careful. This is just like all the other times. Even when things get tight, we always find our way around it. _Junko grinned and gestured to himself with his other hand, his thumb pointing to his chest in a jaunty, good natured manner. _And come on! Like anyone could take me out? I doubt it. You know there's only a few certainties in life, Piper. The Dark Ace stays evil, Finn gets eaten, and I save the day!_

His words managed to spark a smile from Piper's gloomy visage. At that sign of humor, he squeezed her shoulder encouragingly. _Piper, things will work out. It always does. You gotta trust us. And I promise, this time I'll do my best to follow your plan. And I'll try to make sure the guys do too, okay?_

_Yeah, Junko. That'll help a lot. _She rolled her eyes. _I know better than to think anyone really cares about my plans when you're actually out there._

Junko frowned. His hand was still on her shoulder, so he squeezed it again, gently turning her a bit so that she had to look him in the face. _You shouldn't come down so hard on yourself, Piper. We depend on you, you know. Just because sometimes we don't follow your plan, well, it doesn't mean we don't appreciate the work you do._

That earned him another quirk of a smile.

_Thanks Junko. You know, I worry about you guys so much lately. Its like things are getting more and more real nowadays. You guys all act like its some game, and that scares me. I don't want to lose anyone._

_You wont lose anyone! _He laughed. _Cyclonians cant beat us! No way._

Piper sighed, but she looked like she was feeling at least a little better. Junko smiled encouragingly again, and started to pull his hand away from her shoulder.

But he stopped and cocked his head in surprise when he felt a small hand suddenly light upon his larger ones. He looked at Piper in askance. _Uh… Piper?_

_Junko… _She looked up at him, her brow still crinkled in worry. _I never want to see anyone hurt. I don't know what I would do if Aerrow or Finn ever… ever… didn't make it. But… _

She looked down. Glanced off to the side. Bit her lip, then forced her eyes back up to meet his. _But… Promise me that you will always come back._

He stared back in bemusement. _Of course, Piper. I would never want to leave the Condor, or any of you guys!_

She smiled a strange sort of smile, one that hid some strange emotion behind her honeyed eyes. He couldn't quite place it, but it almost looked like she was disappointed in his response. Her fingers stretched out over his hand momentarily, the pads of her fingertips playing over his thicker, blunt digits for a moment as though she was toying with the idea of lacing them together with his.

Then she withdrew her hand, letting him do the same. _You have to swear it. _

_Okay… I promise I'll always come back. Okay?_

She nodded and stood up, walking quickly to the door. She opened it. Glancing backwards at Junko as she prepared to step out of the room, she said one last thing to him before she fled. _Remember, you promised me that you'd always come back, Junko. I'm going to hold you to it._

Junko sat there in that chair for a good while once she had left.

He was so confused.

OOO

SEE?! I did a Piper/Junko! Happy? (It _was_ kinda fun to write, though…)

This is for Dragon Faere, who keeps on me about doing a Piper/Junko, and Madame Lady, for her encouragement. She kept telling me I could pull it off, even when I completely doubted it. Personally, I still doubt it. But hey, who knows? Let me know what you all think.

Oh, and should I keep this one-shot? Do more? Let me know via reviews or PMs!

By the way, thanks for reading this. And review! I love reviews!


End file.
